Partial Oophorectomy

[natters]

So I found out today at a follow up appointment that after my surgery to remove ovarian cysts and they initially told me they had "saved both my ovaries" they actually meant they saved "a small amount of both my ovaries".

I had my D&C on the 27th of December and I haven't had my AF yet which is not helping me ease my mind but I REALLY need to know if I can still conceive after having much of both ovaries removed. My doctor said something about saving them so there is a possibility but it just sounded very.....rushed and he's foreign and..what can I say

Does anybody know either first hand or not of women who have had much of their ovaries removed but went on to conceive? It was my first pregnancy and I am just heartbroken *thinking* that I may not be able to have another one....

[paradise lost]

Oh natters, i'm so sorry hun

My SIL had this done, and she didn't ever concieve BUT by the sounds of it they took a lot more of hers than yours - all of her left ovary was taken, and enough of her right one was left that she would still menstruate (though she frequently did not) and her remaining eggs were never good quality (there is a genetic problem in her family (Rothman Thomsons syndrome) which while not the reason she had her ovaries removed, did affect their function even before the surgery and it is possible that her eggs wouldn't have been viable anyway). She couldn't have IVF. She is too different to you for this to be hugely useful, but i just didn't want you to feel like no-one had even had the procedure.

If i were you i'd get a follow up with a different doctor, one who can sit down with you and your notes and take you through what happens next and so on. It is not at all uncommon for AF to be delayed and/or scant after D&C so don't worry about that yet. I read your other posts and it seems like SOME doctor told you to wait 6 months before ttc again - it seems unlikely to me that they'd tell you that when they think you will never be able to concieve. If they'd damaged your fertility that way i'd expect them to say "Come back in 6 months and we'll see about IVF" or something similar, kwim? I did a quick googling and found this. It's another Q&A (quite old, 2006) about this and has a link to a journal article on it.

Partial oophorectomy can be a treatment for OHSS in IVF patients, and it is nonsensical that the procedure to treat a side-affect of fertility treatment could be allowed to destroy fertility.

I hope that helps a wee bit - try not to worry until you have the full facts hunny.

Bx

[natters]

Thank you so much Hoobley for your story and the links. Unfortunately I live in a small town and there is only one ob/gyn in town. I was considering just talking about it with my GP as he is usually pretty helpful but since the ob/gyn is the one who did my surgery and dealt with the miscarriage as well it seems I should stick with him.

The Dr who told me to wait 6 months is the ob/gyn. At that time he did say the important thing was that I bled (or had AF). And then today he said that they managed to save "a small portion of each ovary in the hopes that [I] could conceive in the future". I didn't really think about it at that point but the next hour or so the word "hopes" really started to bother me and then I remember he said it was important that I bled so then I was like oh no what if I never get af! It's all been a rollercoaster for me (though nothing compared to what some women have gone through....I feel bad just complaining about this!)

So now I'm thinking about not even waiting 6 months to ttc. He said I was fine physically today which I believe meant surgery and miscarriage wise. What if I wait 6 months and I miss the only time I will ever ovulate again!? What could happen if I dont wait 6 months?


I'm ready emotionally to conceive again I just can't fathom never conceiving!

[paradise lost]

You're NOT complaining, you're seeking information and clarification and expressing your hurt and confusion. Suffering isn't like for like hun, it hurts and you have every right to feel and express that pain.

Sometimes after a D&C it can take a few cycles for AF to return properly and for the uterine lining to be growing good and deep again. For that reason SOMETIMES (it is by no means a given) a pregnancy can fail to attach well and be lost early on if you concieve very soon after a D&C. BUT, there are lots of people who do so and carry full-term. If i were you i'd maybe wait until i'd had at least one normal-for-you period before ttc again, that way you can see if the AF is much lighter than usual another cycle to fully recover might be wise. Meantime you can chart your basal body temperature (there's a whole section to learn about it and have company doing it here on bellybelly) and watch your body for signs of fertility, so that as soon as you are good to go, you know when to have sex to maximise your chances of catching the very first eggie you release once your body is recovered.

Your D&C wasn't a period but a loss. How long did you bleed afterwards? After my first loss (no D&C) i bled for 4 weeks and then had AF 4 weeks after the end of the post-loss bleed. The D&C wasn't actually that long ago, i'd perhaps talk to the ob again if 6 weeks pass since the D&C bleeding ended and no AF. the waiting can be just awful i know, but hang in there, your body is recovering from pretty big surgery AND a pregnancy loss at the same time, a lot for you to deal with hun.

The link i sent mentioned that of the women with partial oophorectomies 7 out of 10 went on to concieve naturally and the remainder had IVF and did so didn't it? That's a pretty good rate. I think they had one whole ovary removed and one not but if you have ovarian tissue remaining equal to one whole ovary i don't see why your chances would be much lower - it did also say that losing an ovary doesn't seriously impact on fertility (for instance it doesn't half it) because the other ovary steps up to make up for it. Don't despair yet, it is such early days.

If your GP has access to your notes then there's no reason not to ask to talk about all this with them - the worst they will do is refer you back to the ob, and you're stuck with the ob whatever happens right?

:hugs:

Bx

[~Raven~]

I know it was a long time ago, but my mum did and had me and my brother

[natters]

Actually hoobley, after my D&C I only bled for 2 days. Then I spotted for 2 days about a week later and nothing since then. I planned to wait the entire 6 months until he told me today that they had removed most of both of them! I freaked out thinking it would be difficult to get pregnant anyways so I might as well start trying asap! I am still planning to wait until my first AF for sure I just dont know if I'll be able to wait another cycle knowing that I can actually ovulate.

Should I start recording basal body temperature now before I get my AF? Or wait until after? I'll check out those forums. Thank you so much for your sage advice. The only person in my family who sort of understands what is going on is my grandmother and her miscarriage was in the 40's, and she didn't lose her ovaries AND she had a child so I feel really alone, most particularly today. You have really made me feel so much better in such a short period of time

Raven, your post is just as inspirational. Knowing somebody out there had the same surgery and had 2 kids is exactly what I wanted to know. I'd like to have 3 or 4 kids..or more even if I could. I'm only 23 but it would be nice to get started asap :/

I dont know what I would have done without this forum, really. Thank you all!!!